Power Grid The First Sparks packs all the intense decision making from Power Grid without the auction mechanic. The goal of the game is to grow your clan to 13 members that you can feed. Not having enough food will lead to losing clan members. Food comes in the form of crops, berries, fish, bears, and mammoths. The right technology cards are necessary to harvest food from the various sources. Knowledge cards, like fire, will be useful as well. There are 4 phases to each round: 1) buying new technology, 2) going hunting and feeding the clan, 3) spreading the clan across the modular board, and 4) bureaucracy. Bureaucracy consists of refilling the food supplies and determining turn order. Just like in Power Grid, turn order is critical. If you’re in 1st place you choose which technology cards will be sold but are then last in turn order to purchase it. Additionally, being in1st place means you go last in turn order at acquiring available food sources.
While Power Grid The First Sparks plays in less time that Power Grid, it still carries the same level of intensity. Every decision is important. The Power Grid game has light but is not lite.
